The Pentagon said Tuesday that the weekend attack in Baghdad that left more than 200 people dead should create a new “sense of urgency” to defeat the terrorist group, but not enough to prompt the U.S. to revise its strategy against the Islamic State.
Instead, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the worst attack in Iraq in more than a decade is a “reminder” of why the coalition must accelerate its campaign against the Islamic State to defeat the terrorist group as quickly as possible.
“What Baghdad does is serve as a reminder about the lethal capabilities of ISIL,” Cook said during a briefing at the Pentagon. “It’s all the more reason why there should be a sense of urgency to try to get rid of this type of enemy as soon as possible.”
A suicide bombing in a shopping district in the Iraqi capital over the weekend left more than 200 dead and nearly as many wounded.
Despite that, Cook said the coalition is making gains against the Islamic State, such as the recent retaking of Fallujah, and said the strategy to defeat the terrorist group is “a sound one.”
“If you strike at ISIL’s heart in Iraq and Syria, if you make it harder for them to wage these kind of attacks in other parts of the world, we think that’s the most effective thing we can do at this time,” Cook said.
The administration also responded to a string of suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, saying that the U.S. will work more closely with its Middle Eastern ally to conduct more “robust counterterrorism.”
“Although the investigation of these attacks is still in its early phases, the intent of the terrorists is clear: to sow division and fear. As we join in mourning the loss of at least six individuals, we stand in solidarity with the Saudi people, particularly during this time of celebration and prayer that marks the culmination of the holy month of Ramadan,” Ned Price, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a statement.
Tuesday marks the end of Ramadan, a month-long Muslim holiday during which the Islamic State called on its followers to conduct attacks against the West.
An attack in Bangladesh late last week also killed more than 20 hostages.
While the Islamic State has not formally claimed responsibility for all three recent attacks, Cook said officials are speculating that the Islamic State is behind the violence.
